Hi folks. So I'm on my first grow and I'm a tad concerned the little guy is showing symptoms of an improper pH and possibly a nutrient lockout. The plant is almost three weeks old and growth appears to be a little stunted as well. I thought I would share some pics and see if I could get some good opinions on what the issue might be. The symptoms: Stunted growth, slightly burned tips, possible chlorisis on new growth, and some type of light discoloration on leaves, furthest from the veins. My setup: 3 gallon pot with organic homemade soil comprised of EWC, perlite, peat moss, garden lime, plant-tone plant food, kelp meal and using Fox Farms Grow Big for nutes. Have only used nutrients about 2-3 times at 1/4 strength during the grow thus far though. Didn't want to overdo it. I'm running 3 cfl's at 6500k and roughly 4500 lumens combined. The strain is Liberty Haze. Up until today I had some issues with getting a proper pH balance. I was using test strips which seemed to be wildly inaccurate and just switched to the pH drops today which gave me a confident read. Read at about 6.5 initially and my runoff appeared to be about 6.8. Again I'm pretty fresh in this game so go easy on me. My approach has been very scientific thus far but I'm obviously missing some variables.
Soil cooked for about 2 weeks. Then my seed came in and I got impatient... I should mention my latest watering (today) was about 2 gallons of plain pH balanced water at an attempt to flush out excess nutes or buildup. Had about 20-30% runoff.
Why use bottle nutes at all...sounds like you have a nice cycled organic soil going. Sent from Chargers Headquarters
You have a good point. When I noticed what appeared to be slow growth, I figured some added nutrients were necessary to get him going. Again, I've only used them two or three times at quarter strength in three weeks. On the first use I saw a spurt in growth and was encouraged to continue using them. I'm also thinking now the leaves look a little puffy or "full". I can't remember what that indicates but I'm looking into it.
Just some friendly advice, you may want to ask a mod to move this to the organics section. Since you are using an organic soil, you may get better advice tailored to organic growing.
Okay thanks for the advice. I agree, this topic is probably more appropriate there. Not sure how to bring this to the attention of a mod though.
I had considered this. In the beginning I might have been over doing it but then I increased the aeration in my soil by adding more perlite and then watering less frequently, about every 2-3 days.
So do you have a method by which you determine when to water, or do you just water every 2-3 days? And did you cycle your soil before using it? Can you send a pic' of the plant AND pot?
My method is basically the knuckle test. If soil is dry to the first knuckle, I know it's ready to water and that averages out to about 2-3 days. I cycled my soil for about two weeks give or take. I should have waited longer but I was anxious to get started. I'll try and post pictures of the actual pot (pun intended) later today.
Sorry, I noticed your cycle time after the fact. I think your problem is overwatering. Using your finger to determine when to water is a poor way to do so. The top ~ 1 inch of the soil is NO indication as to how much moisture is left in the pot. The best way to figure out when it's time to water is by feeling the weight of the pot. Using one hand, tip the pot up on its edge. It should feel very light when its time to water. After you've watered, do it again to feel the difference when its heavy. Feel the weight of the pot every day so you can tell when it's getting "light". Now you know when the proper time to water is. Let your soil dry out. No more flushing, no more bottled nute's. I guarantee you'll see a difference within a week.
Thanks man that's very helpful! Yeah I hear everyone promoting the "lift the pot" method but my concern is that it depends on the accuracy of my memory. I suppose even so, it's probably more accurate than the knuckle test. If this plant turned around in a week or so I would be stoked. I'm going to take your advice and report back. Regarding the nutes, I think part of my concern was that my soil, although a good organic mix, might be lacking specific nutrients since cannabis seems to need quite a few unique ones. Between the EWC, plant food, and kelp meal, am I getting the full range of nutrients?
I can understand the "memory" thing! That's why I suggested checking the weight of the pot every day. All you have to remember is what it feels like when it's light/dry. I feel you should see improvement within a week. Seeing as you flushed yesterday, it may take up to two. Your soil is super saturated right now. Contrary to popular belief, cannabis is not some "magical" plant that needs "special" nutrients. That's just hydro store gimmickry. I would say that you have a full range of nutrients with those three ingredients. If for some reason it is not enough, it's certainly enough to get you waaaaay into flowering. You can always top dress with an EWC/'tone/kelp slurry to provide additional nutrients later if need be. This will probably contradict everything that you've read about pH in the AB forum, but stop worrying about measuring/adjusting it. pH fluctuates constantly in soil. It goes up, it goes down. Especially right after watering. Humic content (50% humus in EWC) and organic material of/in your soil keep pH from fluctuating wildly. Testing the pH of runoff is NO indication of the true pH level of the soil. Are you adjusting the pH of your water? Unless it's WAY out of range, it's unnecessary. And people wonder why the pH reading of their runoff is always so low (typically) after watering. If adjusting the water pH down prior to use (most people "need" to adjust down), you've essentially just added a bunch of acid (hydrogen ions) into your soil solution. pH is nothing more than the ratio of H+ ions in relation to OH- ions in solution. The higher the concentration of H+ ions in solution, the lower the pH reading. I have well water, ph 8.1 and ppm 320. I do nothing to it. No problems. In fact, I used to adjust the pH of my water. Then I learned more about soil chemistry. I stopped doing it, and plant health and vigor improved immensely. And I wanted to share some info on overwatered/root bound pots, so that you have a better understanding of what's going on in your soil. These two conditions create a soil environment that is lacking in oxygen. Oxygen is essential in the root zone because its presence is necessary for the proper cycling and uptake of nutrients by plants & microbes. First the plant will experience stunted growth (right?), and then all sorts of DIFFERENT kinds of "nutrient disorders" will begin to pop up. Overwatering is a common mistake made by new growers. Unfortunately, they are oftentimes given bad advice, like "flush", or "adjust your pH", or my favorite "you need more fertilizer". These "remedies" only serve to compound the problem. I've found that asking "are you overwatering?" usually fixes the issue without making things worse. And the next time you water, do so slowly, and water in increments. Water a bit, wait 10-15 minutes, water, repeat. Do this JUST until you begin to get runoff. Valuable nutrients are wasted with excessive runoff, nitrate especially. And for future grows, or if you transplant again, consider watering through sub irrigation. This is truly "no brainer" watering, and the best way to hydrate potted plants growing in organic soil, IME. http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1151159-noobwannbs-self-wicking-smartpot-ghetto-setup.html If you'd like to understand how properly built soils regulate pH on their own, and how nutrient ion exchange (read "plants feeding") works, check out this link (don't be intimidated, it's not as complicated as it looks)... http://www.soilminerals.com/Cation_Exchange_Simplified.htm And as one previous poster suggested, start posting future questions in the organics forum. You're growing in organic soil, ya know?
Wow man. I don't know what to say. This information is incredible. I love the thought of not having to temper pH and add nutrients, not because I'm lazy, but because I prefer a more naturalistic approach (ie organic soil). Not really looking to produce some kind of franken-strain. But man compared to some more traditional stuff I've seen online, you're like the Bob Dylan of cannabis cultivation. Dude, thanks so much for your time and the info! Beyond helpful.
You're very welcome. Bob Dylan? LOL! I'm just one of many organic growers that has taken the time to research and understand the systems that we work with. Make sure you post up to let us know how things are going in a week or so. See you then.
So a quick update. I still haven't watered since Monday when I flushed and she's standing a little perkier probably happy I'm not drowning her. The pot still feels a tad heavy so I'm not convinced the soil is actually dry. I haven't noticed a dramatic difference in growth but I feel fairly confident the real growth at the moment is taking place with the roots. The new growth that is coming through doesn't appear to have any defects or health concerns. The one thing that has me curious is the one set of leaves angling towards one direction (my light with the strongest luminosity). You can see this in the pic looking down. All three of my lights are within 6-7 inches of the plants so I don't think they're starving for light. Overall I would argue that the plant is rebounding. Still slightly concerned that growth is a tad slow but then again, its only been 4 days since I did the flush.